Alberta government unveils new $1.2B affordable housing strategy

WATCH ABOVE: Over 110,000 people in Alberta currently live in government-supported housing. Thousands more are on a waiting list. Tom Vernon reports on a major announcement on Monday to improve affordable housing in the province.

“Tenants tell me they want to get a better job and be able to save up for their family’s future. But the existing housing system isn’t designed for that and tenants risk losing their home if they do,” Calgary Housing Company tenant liaison Tracey McLean-Schultz said.

“These change mean we can begin to break the cycle of poverty.”

The government is piloting mixed-income models to allow tenants to pay an adjusted rent so they can choose to stay in their homes. Previously, tenants could be forced to move out of their homes when they got a better job that put their income slightly above the low-income limit, the province said.

In March, the province announced planning funds for 14 affordable housing projects throughout the province, which totalled just over $5.6-million.

The NDP said it planned to build or renew more than 6,000 affordable housing units over the next five years.

Of the 14 projects, five are in Edmonton and four are in Calgary.

The Seniors and Housing ministry said the planning dollars would assist the organizations in proceeding to the permit development stage, and included funding for scope and cost definition and feasibility studies.

In 2016, the province changed a policy so that Albertans no longer had to declare their disability and education savings plans as part of asset testing rules. Seniors and Housing Minister Lori Sigurdson said savings plans won’t count toward the $7,000 asset limit for affordable housing programs.